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"To an observer, it appears crazy," the young defender says, as he reflects on his summer just gone, when dizzying change felt like a constant. "However, that's just how it goes ... football is a crazy game."

A Quick Recap

Shortly after claiming victory in the European Under-21 Championship with England at the end of June, Quansah opted to depart from his childhood club, to join Bayer Leverkusen in a multi-million pound transfer.

The significant transfer sum equalled big pressure as the 22-year-old was charged with finding his feet in a foreign land and at a team where the turnover was dramatic. The new manager had stepped in to succeed Xabi Alonso and a number of key players were departing or already left – including Florian Wirtz, Piero Hincapié, influential figures, prominent athletes, Granit Xhaka, established players and Jonathan Tah.

Bundesliga Debut

Quansah's Bundesliga debut came on 23 August at home to Hoffenheim and the central defender found the net after the opening minutes, albeit the goal was overshadowed by sadness. His primary thought was Diogo Jota, who was killed in a car accident. Quansah executed his teammate's signature celebration as a mark of respect.

"Scoring on your Bundesliga debut, at home, after five minutes, is definitely a whirlwind," Quansah says. "But my overwhelming feeling was that it was a homage to Diogo."

Initial Struggles

The defender could have been excused for questioning what he had signed up for at the German club. From the promising start in their first league game, they succumbed to a narrow loss and the next match on August 30th was equally disappointing. The squad threw away 2-0 and 3-1 leads to finish level at their reduced opponents, the equaliser coming in stoppage time. It was no longer his responsibility for much longer. His dismissal came on September 1st.

Staying Focused

Quansah doesn't appear to be the kind to worry. If calmness defines his game, it was on show during the conversation he gave after joining England for the international friendly against Wales and the World Cup qualifier against Latvia.

Quansah has remained focused under the new Leverkusen manager, Kasper Hjulmand, and continued to do what he always intended to do at the team – compete. Hjulmand has established consistency. His squad have positive results in their domestic campaign along with draws in each of their European matches. But there is a more significant number that encourages Quansah, even bringing a measure of vindication. It is the one which shows he has played every minute of the team's season.

National Team Attention

It is something that the England head coach has noted. The national team manager was a admirer last season, including him when he named his first squad. After leaving him out in the summer so that Quansah could concentrate on the Under-21 European Championship, he provided him with a last-minute inclusion in September when the experienced defender was compelled to pull out.

Still to win his first cap, Quansah must have done something right in practice sessions and around the camp because he was named at the beginning in Tuchel's squad selection for the upcoming matches, essentially as a fifth centre-back with Stones fit again. The aspiration is a debut. It is another thing he would certainly handle with ease.

Decision Making

"With my new club, the team were interested in me for a considerable time and that's not just from the manager [Ten Hag]," Quansah explains. "Their interest existed before he got appointed. So understanding it was a type of organizational choice and nothing would change with whatever coach was to come in ... it was easy for me to choose this path.

"There were a numerous squad members leaving and it's consistently challenging when you see important figures leave. It has been difficult to build the leadership groups but the results we have had [under Hjulmand] demonstrate that we have got a competitive team with quality players. It is going to take time to build and we are not where we want to be. But if we are getting results and avoiding defeats that is a good place to begin from."

Liverpool Departure

It had to have been a wrench for Quansah to depart from his long-time club, his team since childhood, where he experienced so many memorable moments – such as the league cup triumph over their London rivals in 2023‑24 when he came on as an extra-time substitute.

Quansah was also involved in the previous campaign's domestic championship success. Yet his perspective of most of that achievement was not the one he would have preferred. He was an non-playing reserve on 25 occasions in the competition, his four starts and nine appearances falling short compared to his numbers from the prior season when he featured more regularly.

Professional Growth

"I consistently developed off some of the best players around me at Liverpool and it's been so good for my professional development," he says. "But as a young centre-back, you need games and I'm going to be needing hundreds of games to be where I want to be.

"I just wanted regular playing opportunities and when you are at a top-level club, it's not guaranteed because there are elite performers all over the pitch. I wanted somewhere where they can trust that I might make mistakes at times but they will see beyond that and recognize I can continue developing and improving."

Foundation Building

Quansah recalls his loan to League One Bristol Rovers in the later part of that season where he debuted at professional level – multiple matches, to be exact. There were "numerous wake-up calls", he notes with a grin, beginning with his first game; a 5-1 defeat at their opponents.

"That was a genuine revelation," Quansah says. "It proved a extremely important part of my career because I wanted to make the subsequent progression to playing first-team football. Each match I gained fresh insights. That's when I understood how crucial experience and match practice was. You could suggest it influenced my choice in the summer."